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Specialties
While the Bistro will be closed till March 23rd the wine shop is still open with the hours listed above.
Making great wines and fantastic food with the best views in the Okanagan!
History
Established in 1984.
In the early 1900s Hillside was owned by the Riddle family who operated an apricot orchard. The original farmhouse stood on what is now the site of our tasting room.
In 1979, the property was purchased by Bohumir and Vera Klokocka who had recently immigrated to the Okanagan Valley from Czechoslovakia. In 1984 she and Bohumir pulled out the apricot trees and planted 3.5 acres of vineyards. The last surviving apricot tree from the Riddles’ orchard remains on the bank just below the Kettle Valley Railway. The grapevines thrived in the gravelly soil and warm Okanagan sunshine.
In 1989 Hillside, together with Lang Vineyards and Wild Goose, lobbied the Provincial Government to bring about the Farmgate Winery Policy that was instrumental in changing the B.C. Wine Industry. The new policy allowed small vineyards of five acres or less to not only produce wine but also to sell it directly from their premises.